The blood-retinal barrier in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU): a review

The blood-retinal barrier (BRB) is believed to play an important part in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). Central to the disease process is the recruitment of inflammatory cells from the circulation, a mechanism that is controlled in part by the BRB. As the disease progresses the BRB becomes disrupted first to small and then to large molecular weight tracers. In these two respects EAU shares many similarities with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in which there is dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In EAU, however, the differential roles played by the two barrier sites that comprise the BRB are not clear although some evidence would suggest that it is the retinal endothelium that is initially involved. BRB breakdown in EAU has been found to occur concomitantly with lymphocyte infiltration by mechanisms that remain to be elucidated.